Elysium
by Beloved Fool
Summary: D stumbles upon one Noble's utopia. It's not quite of this world. For 30 somethings on IJ.
1. Into the Secret Garden

**Title: **Secret Garden [1/??]  
**Fandom: **Vampire Hunter D  
**Pairing/Character: **D  
**Theme/Prompt: **#8 'Garden' (Nights)  
**Rating:** PG-15  
**Warnings: **D-style violence, gore, supernatural horror.  
**Summary: **D runs into one Noble's utopia. It's not quite of this world.  
**Notes: **[zombie]

* * *

He'd stopped to let the horse rest as the day grew hotter and had hidden himself in the shadows nearby, hat tipped down over his face as he sat back against a column adorned with crumbling sculpture. Reins trailing, the beast had wandered to the various patches of scrubby grass it could find and, scenting fresh water, moved towards the small mere to drink its fill. The dhampir was free for the moment to think about the job he'd picked up at the little village on the next island over.

Normally he'd turn down such a small fee, but as the village headman had pleaded his case, D had had to admit it was an intriguing one and business hadn't exactly been hectic in this part of the world anyway. The parasite disagreed with the sentiment, vocally as always, protesting that this was _entirely_ the wrong climate for one of D's half-Noble stature to be hanging around in. He was predictably ignored and now they were on this fortified island, they were here to see this through.

According to the few fishermen who braved the lethal, infested waters of this area on a daily basis, lights had been seen burning in the windows of the lower levels of the fort and strange ghostly figures could be seen at night if there was no fog on the sea. These apparitions, said one, flew around the island, circling the topmost turret of the keep, as if someone was calling them. Ever since the first night they had appeared, only a few brave souls would continue to fish close to the island, but now they reported that there was no fish to be had at all in that area, where it should have been teeming with marine life.

There were a couple of largish outcrops from the mysterious island, full of old ruins and pools of clear water. The first thing D had noticed, the nervous ferryman urging him and the horse across the small jetty, was the quiet in the air. No birds, no rustlings in the undergrowth, nothing. In fact, the only life that seemed to be plentiful was the plant-life around the base of the fortification. The only place that was relatively free of the jungle-like area was a small hill, nothing worth remarking on ordinarily, with the remnants of a past civilisation hugging the sparse land. Even so, the growth of the vegetation obscured it somewhat from the physical sight from anyone living in the castle keep itself and there the Hunter had chosen to sit back for a while and expand his senses, looking for trouble. The parasite, knowing that D would need a certain measure of concentration, helped him out, sending out his own in search of anything that was living or not on the island fort.

After a while, perhaps ten minutes or a little more, D opened his eyes and stood up straight. He opened his left palm to face him and talked into it.

'So?' He asked simply. The grotesque face on the dhampir's hand that was the parasite frowned thoughtfully.

'Hmm, it's barely there, but I can sense a lot of activity coming from over in the direction of the walls. It's very faint though.'

D's ever-present neutral expression didn't fade. Instead, an intense focus came into his eyes as he stared up at the thick battlements on the cliff's edge. 'I've never felt this kind of presence before,' he commented. Although his tone was almost casual, he walked purposefully forward to collect the horse and lead it into the cover provided by a large arch that had fallen into nothing more than a pile or ornate rubble. There he hobbled it, though it was unnecessary insofar as the programming of the beast wouldn't let it wander off, and strode into the thickest part of the jungle that was near the base of the walls.

* * *

I work faster with reviews? Much love.


	2. Drawn

**Title: **Drawn [2/??]  
**Fandom: **Vampire Hunter D  
**Character/Pairing[s]: **D  
**Theme/Prompt: **#11 'Howling' (Nights)  
**Rating: **PG-15  
**Warnings: **D-style violence, gore, supernatural horror.  
**Summary: **D runs into one Noble's utopia. It's not quite of this world.  
**Notes:** I'd genuinely like to know if people are reading and enjoying this, so, you don't have to, but if you could review, I'd dearly appreciate it.

* * *

It took some time - and a bit of work with his sword to cut through arm-thick lianas that were strewn across his intended path – but eventually he came to the point where he could sense a stronger presence, even if it was barely. He cut aside a tangled covering of vegetation to reveal split, rotting planks beneath and dragging aside the debris, he found it had been a small door. The opening it made let more than enough light for him to see clearly into the gloom with his enhanced eyes. His sword lay still unsheathed in his hand by his side and he extended his left palm in front of him.

'Anything?'

At the whispered question, the face of the parasite twisted this way and that as far as it was able, but was unable to tell him anything he hadn't been able to for himself.

Taking a few cautious steps inside, he saw that it was a corridor with rough-hewn stairs a short way inside, possibly leading to further rooms. There was no light, natural or otherwise, even if he'd needed it, but the wraith-like presence was like a beacon to him, pulling the dhampir up the stairs.

He was still for a while, apparently in contemplation over his next move. A Noble with the ability to manipulate spirits, while not exactly unheard of, was rare. Wraiths could only do so much, after all, and it was much easier to control dumb beasts created by the harsh Frontier. Of course, if the Noble (the Hunter hadn't quite ruled out that there was one indeed in residence even though he couldn't be sensed right away] needed something to discourage even hardier souls experienced in hunting game, then all it had to do was give them nothing to cut. Relying on the power of fear over force, this one was probably quite a long-lived member of the race, and experienced with the mindset of humans in small settlements.

Even so, something was troubling D. He'd encountered and consequently dealt with Nobles of this kind before without the problem of not being able to detect their presence. Just as the vampire could bend each wraith to their will, in return the spirits were attracted to the source of the power that held them in its thrall. This made them light up like a signal flare on D's senses, without even asking the parasite in his left hand for help. If even that being was unable to detect a clear sign of a Noble, dormant or awake, then either they were dealing with something else entirely or this was a different breed of vampire.

An altogether troubling thought but barely a muscle twitched on the dhampir's face as it crossed his mind. He dismissed it a second later though. He'd find it, whatever it was, however it was different, and he'd kill it. He'd made that vow long ago, to himself and nothing short of his own annihilation would make him break it now, not after _this _long. Seek and destroy was the only thing that mattered now.

Useless thoughts. _Concentrate._

His mind was once again clear as he went up the stairs, some masonry crumbling on the edges when his boot touched them briefly, and the wind began to whistle throughout the narrow passageway then, howling as if with the voices of all the lost souls who once inhabited this place. And with the eerie voices, came another feeling. It crept up the Hunter's spine, and made his eyes go wide with sudden racial recognition. It made his skin…_itch,_ and the urge to bare his fangs was incredible.

The parasite in his left hand was shouting something but there was blood pounding in D's ears now, through his veins was the unnatural power flooding through him and distantly, he realised that he was running towards the source.

* * *


	3. Spell

**Title: **Spell [3/??]  
**Fandom: **Vampire Hunter D  
**Character/Pairing[s]: **D  
**Theme/Prompt: **#20 'Sleepwalking' (Nights)  
**Rating: **PG-15  
**Warnings: **D-style violence, gore, supernatural horror.  
**Summary: **D runs into one Noble's utopia. It's not quite of this world.  
**Notes: **Fairly quick update considering? XD Glad to see some people are reading it anyway. I know it probably is quite an obscure fandom unfortunately in comparison to the big names.

* * *

When he finally came to a halt – somewhere in the core of the keep now, he was dimly sure – the crushing presence of the wraiths hemmed him in from all sides. Thick with them, the atmosphere was stifling and he fought through them, trying to get through to the source. The parasite in his left hand was shouting, he recognised almost absently, but there were so many spirit bodies about him now, he was having trouble concentrating. The source of the pull, unmistakably the scent of carnage, felt deliberate, as if somebody was leading a trail for D to follow. Against his will, he was being drawn to the epicentre of this strange enchantment.

One step. Another. _Splash._

There was a physical smell now; blood filling the Hunter's nose with each step forward and he couldn't find the power to stop the fangs of his true nature emerging. But with each sound of his tread, he woke a little more. Even as the wraiths didn't retreat from the air around him, the rush of his own pulse in his ears no longer deafened him and-

'-ear ME!? OI!'

_What?_

Looking down towards the direction of the voice, he realised he still had his sword in hand and the fog was wholly cleared from his mind.

'…'

He stopped walking and looked ahead, trying to see through the swirling mass of souls surrounding him.

'What happened?' The question was terse, almost letting anger colour his tone, but there was a pause before the parasite answered. When it spoke, it sounded uncertain and a little shaken.

'There was a massive surge from these guys and then something through it I couldn't identify before you took off runnin' like you were being chased by the hounds of your Fa-'

'What is this place then? This smell…' D trailed off as another wave of bloodlust washed over him.

'These guys… seem to belong here. It definitely seems as if they can't leave this place. Probably an execution chamber of some sort. A dungeon? Dunno. A lot of people died here anyway, D, and I might be wrong in thinkin' this but it looks like you were supposed to be drawn here.'

'A trap.' The Hunter's voice was devoid of any emotion now. If the being in his left hand could have shivered at the cool tone, it would have. It had been a long while since anything had been able to get one over on D and the dhampir was likely not going to forget this for a while.

'…Exactly,' it answered anyway. 'Good news is though,' it added, searching the perimeter of the room for exits. 'There's a door up ahead and looks like your trail leads up. These guys aren't made of anythin' you can't get through with that oversized knife of yours.'

'Straight ahead?' D's grip on the hilt of the sword firmed and he moved into a ready stance.

'Right.'

Holding his sword out in front of him, the slightly curved edge of the blade shining blue from some unknown inner fire, D began to cut and slash at the spirits in the air in front of him. They pulled back, shrieks of pain and rage only sounding on the cusp of the dhampir's unnatural hearing briefly before they pulled back. The Hunter strode through the narrow path, nary a look back nor to the side of him as he pulled the heavy oak door open and shut again as he went through.

* * *


	4. The Glass Trees

**Title: **The Glass Trees [4/??]  
**Fandom: **Vampire Hunter D  
**Character/Pairing[s]: **D  
**Theme/Prompt: **#6 'Forest' (Nights)  
**Rating: **PG-15  
**Warnings: **D-style violence, gore, supernatural horror.  
**Story Summary: **D runs into one Noble's utopia. It's not quite of this world.  
**Notes: **oO; FAST. Not too many chapters to go now, maybe one or two? I'm not using the whole of the prompt table for this one since there're a lot of one-shots I'd like to get written. Also, I've still got the Thrillers table still to go. Multi-chapter death.

* * *

Silence reigned even in this narrow, dimly lit corridor. But the torches were lit on the walls nonetheless indicating signs of life.

'No Time-Bewitching Incense,' was the parasite's observation as D walked silently towards the staircase at the far end. 'Strange though. No other presence save for those guys back there, but just a thread…' It trailed off as something else began to make itself known.

'There! Stop a moment!'

D stopped, about to ask what the parasite had sensed, when he suddenly felt it himself. The presence of a vampire lit up like a beacon to his awareness. The Noble was at the top of the keep, unmoving, which probably meant...

'He let us know where he was.' D's frank statement split the silence.

'Yeah,' agreed the parasite. 'What're ya gonna do then?'

The dhampir didn't hesitate before answering. 'Then I'm going up to meet him.'

'Right. Knew you were gonna say that.' The parasite sighed, a whistling breath of part exasperation, part amusement. The Hunter continued to the foot of the staircase and up. It was winding, slivers for windows letting through the deep gold light of the sunset at intervals, and at the top there was a large room with a tall ceiling of dark stained glass.

Looking around, D could see that whilst the torches were lit in their braziers here as well, there was still no one around. At the far end of the hall, facing the length of the room was a high-backed chair, like a throne of sorts, and beyond that, another plain wooden door.

Walking over to it, D placed his left hand flat against the grain.

'What's beyond here?' There was no answer for several long moments as the parasite Saw through the wood.

'There's a distortion,' it said finally, sounding puzzled. 'One moment it's a normal room, then… Yeah, _weird_.'

'How?' There was a sigh from his left hand before he was answered. When it spoke, the confusion was less pronounced.

'Like a garden of some sort. There're some trees. Whole lotta trees actually and it doesn't look like anywhere close by. Extra-dimensional space.'

'The Noble is through here,' D said flatly, turning the handle to open the door. _Garden or not, the vampire is in this place._

He was met with a blast of icy wind, snow that was more clumps than flakes floating past into the large room behind him to settle on his clothes and in his ebon hair, stark against the errant strands. Opening the door fully, the temperature evened out, the wind let loose to whine in the corners and tease the torches almost to the point of blowing them out completely.

Past the swirling snow, the dark outlines of grasping branches reached to the white sky, forming ranks either side from the door to a distant point. Even darker silhouettes stood stark on some of the lower branches, swinging violently from the oddly still limbs.

It didn't even take a second of thought to guess at their nature, though the cold and wind stole any chance of getting a scent. D walked over to an unladen tree, stopping close enough to touch the thin trunk. He laid his hand flat on it, letting the parasite do its work again, although by the texture against his fingertips there was already something very obviously off about it. Smooth as ice but substantial enough to be closer to opaque than translucent, the smoky black colour lending to the surreal effect of a sculpture. A very _detailed_ sculpture.

'Oi, there's nothing wrong with this one,' came the parasite's shout, rousing the Hunter from his musing. 'But try one of the ones with a body-bag on it,' it suggested.

'You feel something from those?'

'Maybe.' If it could have shrugged, it would have. The dhampir walked over to the next tree over, which had a couple of smaller bags attached to the lower limbs. On approaching it, D could see that it _pulsed_, emitting a living aura as if in time with a heartbeat, and on closer inspection, the colour changed, the black becoming fully opaque every other beat.

Struck by a sudden though, he grabbed the edge of the bag nearest the trunk, revealing the layer to be a viscous substance that came away his touch. The movement revealed pale skin and the outline of a jawbone underneath. The Hunter wiped more away, the tar-like liquid falling to the ground to hiss against the snow. A chin, a mouth and-

The parasite swore, loudly and profoundly.

* * *


	5. The Night Illuminated

**Title: **The Night Illuminated [5/7]  
**Fandom: **Vampire Hunter D  
**Character/Pairing[s]: **D  
**Theme/Prompt: **#15 Moonlight (Nights)  
**Rating: **PG-15  
**Warnings: **D-style violence, gore, supernatural horror  
**Summary: **D runs into one Noble's utopia. It's not quite of this world.  
**Notes: **Oooeeee, next-to-penultimate chapter. Hope you're still enjoying it so far.

* * *

Barely visible against the pale pink of the lower lip, the tip of a fang held D's vision for squarely a minute before the black substance began to move as if pulled over the face like a curtain and solidified, almost trapping the dhampir's hand. Pulling away, D stepped back, letting shock creep in for a moment before an equally stunned –sounding voice from his left hand spoke.

'…Hell.'

D silently concurred.

'I mean, this whole place… A _breeding ground_.'

The Hunter stalked over to the next tree, wiping away the black coverings, revealing more of the same. Repeating the process with the next and the next, he confirmed the statement. He'd recovered from the shock quickly, and now there was nothing but

'And the location… extra-dimensional… No wonder we couldn't sense much,' continued the parasite.

'The Noble still isn't here,' said D quietly, stopping at a particularly laden tree and looking up at the smallest bag he'd seen yet on one of the highest branches.

'No,' said the parasite. 'He's just through that gate beyond the edge of the trees.'

_Gate- Ah._

The dhampir looked to his right towards the thickest of the blizzard, and glimpsed another large silhouette through the swirling flakes. A tall, black iron gate, with nothing either side of it, suggesting that it led to some place _other_ that didn't need something as mundane as a fence to keep it segregated. He walked closer to it, but stopped, frowning as a new presence registered. Large, fierce and strong and not even trying to hide. The dhampir put a hand to the hilt of his sword, not quite drawing it, but ready to do so in a flash if need be.

'Feel that?' He asked in a low voice.

'Yeah…More resistance at last,' mused the parasite thoughtfully. 'But it's still like he's not even trying to put up much of a fight.'

'We'll see.'

The huge bulk of the gate's supposed guardian moved fully into view and the faint, sweet stench of rotting was carried on a few tendrils of the wind. Through the elements, the Hunter could make out patches of different species here and there throughout the creature's body, marking it as a chimera, a created beast.

It padded forward on a lion's paws, long eagle's talons gouging out huge drifts of snow with each step, its dragon's tail whipping around the head of a black, heavily fanged dog. It stopped, towering over D, the dark body casting a giant shadow over the dhampir; the smell was stronger now, and with enhanced senses, only the Hunter's skill of detachment allowed him to breathe as normal.

'…I wonder if it's as tough as it looks.'

He ignored the parasite's comment, instead drawing his sword in one quick movement. A steady rumbling from the chimera turned into a growl that shifted the snow from its fur with the vibrations.

Crouching into a ready stance, D moved, quick as lightning, and rushed at the guardian beast, sword gleaming in the non-light with the strange power held by its master. A curve of light melded into another, and yet another as the royal dhampir slashed at his foe.

* * *

More to come soon!


End file.
